On the High Frontier

1. A Simple In-and-Out (part 2/3)

"But, why would ..."

"Who also happen to hold a controlling interest in DandeFyre."

"Oh." That is a name that Kimiko definitely tries to avoid these days. "Could they still be upset about that?"

"You think?"

"It would explain the pop-up auto-cannons."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh yeah, before your time. Easily dealt with; not ready for a full scaping deck."

She reaches the bottom of the ladder and drops down next to another large module seal door. There are cabinets and lockers to one side. She opens one and finds an air mask. She doesn't need protection, but the air supply will be useful so she puts it on.

Bringing up the scaping UI in the IEHUD she checks the extent. The production facility is a bit more secure than the lab, but it is still not hardened. She pulls codes and authorities to allow her control. Those master control keys look terribly old and worn, it is an act of generosity when she replaces them. The schematics and sensor outputs show a single open zone full of industrial equipment including reaction vessels, ovens, and deposition chambers beyond the hatch. Small scale production rather than mass manufacturing. She will have to cross top to bottom to reach the void wall of the outer skin and the locks it holds. The locks are isolated so she cannot open them remotely and sow confusion.

Cycling the hatch whilst holding the status tags to closed, she steps into the module. That will hopefully keep them on their toes. The area is dark with the occasional pool of light illuminating important stations. Keying up her selective LI filters the view becomes clearer, and less friendly. "That's a lot of cable and wiring there, Sayoko. You might want to be careful or you could have all kinds of trouble."

"Do you ever have anything useful to say?" He is of course right. No jumping and running down walls here or she will be hung up in that web. Climbing down between the catwalks will be slow and make her easier to intercept, but she doesn't have a not a lot of choice.

As she swings down onto a nearby ladder something shifts and she flexes as she falls to try and get comfortable. James of course notices the move. "Why don't you just wear a cutoff skin suit under your clothes if you might have to sheath up. They are designed to be very comfortable."

"I wasn't expecting to suit up. And when I say I don't wear underwear. Look it's comfortable, and it's easier for ... certain things. It's been months. Hadn't you noticed?"

"Thank you for feeling the need to share, but I definitely did not need to know that. I was happy in my ignorance, ecstatic." She can actually hear the look on his face. She always knows when she has embarrassed him, he goes so British it hurts, priceless. "The pilot privacy protocols are hard-wired into the firmware kernel. Basic biometrics and whether all your limbs are present is about all the internal data the system provides. Your personal habits are completely ... personal." It also makes him prattle on even more than normal.

She continues down, and becomes aware of other moving telltales on the security spacials. They have managed to get guards in, though they are no nearer the void wall than she is. There are so many heat sources here she shouldn't be visible to them, but they know where she is entering and do seem to be converging beneath her. Moving across the module along an old catwalk she notices how the equipment has been cannibalised and reused a number of times over the years. An old plating deposition bath here, a nano-component lithography station there. At least half the equipment is currently mothballed. They had even been doing biological work here at some point, there are flash sterilisation units fastened to the nearby walls. No one uses KC-90s these days so it was several years ago.

She is now coming down at the other end of the unit, away from the crowd. The central area of the bottom is taken up by vent exhausts and blow away purge panels to allow the release of explosive pressure if problems occur. Around this area are the void locks. Most of the guards are concentrated on the side where she had been, and they will need to use elevated walkways and crossovers to get to this side, unless they want to risk low-G jumps in amongst the cables. Unfortunately the security map shows a sole telltale right next to the floor lock she is aiming for.

Leaning over from a catwalk above the void lock, Kimiko gets a good look at the guard below. He is in light tactical gear with a rebreather and is carrying a heavy stun launcher. That could hurt. Sayoko's big weakness, apart from heavy armour piercing rounds, is energy discharges. Only heavy lasers or similar are likely to breach the sheath, but those launchers throw a heavy stun round which packs a large electrical discharge. That can disrupt the sheath and hurt her as well.

The guards will soon realise she is not coming down over the other side and start sweeps so she had better deal with him quickly. His personal systems are protected and it will take too long to subvert them cleanly. This is definitely the night of the hard way.

Dropping straight down she aims for the back of his head, but he must sense something because he turns and steps back, starting to raise his gun but too slowly. She hits the gun, catching it under her arm and knocking him backwards with her other hand. He scrambles to draw another weapon, but Kimiko shoots him with his own gun. Well they know where she is now. She pushes the manual open on the lock and waits for it to cycle.

As she does this she becomes aware of the muzzle of another discharge weapon pressed into her back. Another security guard? How, he isn't on the security spacials. Damn, there must be someone else on the extent. As this insight registers the guard grabs the back of mask she is wearing and uses it to swing her toward the wall, away from the now open floor hatch. He deliberately tugs as she falls so the mask comes off, leaving her exposed to the unbreathable atmosphere.